Senate rejects proposal to automatically reject absentee ballots missing a date in election bill debate

An amendment to House Bill 16-80 that would have required counties to reject absentee ballots with an undated signed envelope failed on a Senate roll call after a lengthy floor debate.

Senator John Ford introduced Amendment No. 2 to remove language in the bill that would mandate rejection of absentee ballots if the date line on the return envelope was missing. Ford said some counties currently instruct clerks to count those ballots if everything else is in order and that automatically discarding them without a chance to cure would disenfranchise voters, including elderly residents. "This is really a disagreement between the two election division directors about what should happen here," Ford said and urged colleagues to allow a chance to cure.

Opponents and the bill author, Senator Greg Gaskell, argued the underlying bill reflected a different interpretation and that counties should follow the statutory standard. Senator Taylor described the amendment as restoring current practice that gives voters an opportunity to fix technical errors. He said the process already requires verification of signature and other checks and that forgetting to date an envelope should not nullify a voter's intent.

The Senate held a roll-call vote on the amendment; the clerk reported 15 ayes and 33 noes, and the amendment failed. The body later ordered House Bill 16-80 to engrossment; the transcript does not record a final passage on third reading for the bill within this session excerpt.

Ending: The vote preserved the bill's approach at the time: absent a cure provision in statute, some counties' practices could be standardized by law rather than by local guidance.